Latch



E. 0. BULMAN L'ATCH.

APPLICATION HLED MAR. 25. 1919.

1 324,95 3. Patented Dec; 16, 1919.

1& 0 Bu/ man UNITED ELVAH 0. BULIVIAN, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 16, 1919.

Application filed March 25, 1919. Serial No. 285,074.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELVAH O. BULMAN, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State ofMichigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Latches;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to latches and is particularly concerned with theproduction of latches for doors of simple construction and easy action,made entirely from sheet metal and with an operating handle pivotallymounted so as to fulcrum on the case through which it passes, whereby aparticularly efiicient and easy acting latch is produced. The inventionincludes various novel combinations and arrangements of parts andelements for producing these results as well as many other, as willhereinafter more fully appear, reference being had to the ac companyingdrawing in which various forms of'the invention are shown, and in which,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a latch and coacting strike therefor,the same being mounted on a door and door jamb, respectively, which areshown fragmentarily.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the door and latch.

Fig. 3 is a. horizontal section taken through the latch above the handleand looking down on the same.

Fig. 9. is a front elevation of the strike.

Fig. 5 is a side view thereof.

Fig. 6 is a partial vertical section and side view of a modified form ofthe latch, the case or housing being in section.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of this modification.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation with a part of the case broken away and insection, showing a still further modification.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Figs. 3 and 7 of this last modification, and

Fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary section through the parts of thelatch mechanism of the last modification illustrating the method ofoperation thereof.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different views ofthe drawing.

The latch is adapted to be attached at the free vertical edge of a door1, and comprises a sheet metal case or housing 2 with upper and lowerears 3 through which screws 4 may pass into the door for attachment. Ahandle, also of sheet metal, indicated at 5, passes through a frontopening 6 in the. iousing. inside of the housing the handle is formedwith downwardly extending sides 7 in which slots 8 are cut, the sameextendmg downwardly and forwardly toward the door at an angie to thevertical as shown in Fig. 2. These slots are located a short distance infront of the crown of the housing and a pin 9 disposed between andsupported by the sides of the housing passes through the slots. In theform shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, the handle is extended in front ofthe pin for a distance and at its inner end has a strike engaging arm 10formed which passes laterally through an opening 11 at the inner edge ofone side of the housing, so as to pass across the meeting edges of thedoor and the door jamb. A; spring 12 serves to elevate the inner end ofthe handle.

The strike 13 is attached to the door jamb 1% by screws or the like andis formed from a single piece of sheet metal with a fiat top andinwardly extending sides and ends. A; part of the metal of the top isstruck outwardly and upwardly at an angle making a cam-like projection15 above an opening 16 in the top of the strike so that the end of thearm 10, when brought against it in closing the door is forced downwardagainst spring 12 until it passes into and through the opening 16 andbehind a shoulder 17 made on one of the sides of the strike by cuttingaway the metal, as shown in Fig. 5. The handie tulcrums on the upperedge of the opening 6 in the housing through which it passes. it isevident that if the outer depending end of the handle is grasped and anoutward pull made thereon, the spring 12 may be compressed and the arm10 lowered suiicient to disassociate with the shoulder 17 whereupon thedoor may be opened. It will be noted that with the pivotal movement ofthe handle, there is also a movement inward into the case caused by theengagement of pin 9 with the inclined sides of the slots 8, and as thehandle returns to normal posi tion there is a corresponding outwardmovement of the handle as a whole, this causing the arm 10 to have atendency to move out ward. When it engages behind the shoulder 17,accordingly, there is a drawing efl'ect produced whereby the door drawntightlv shut by spring pressure without the necessity of inclining theshoulder 17 to the verti cal; and on operation of the handle to re leasethe latch, the inward movement of the arm immediately frees the strikefrom bear ing engagement with the arm 10, there being little or no wearof the engaging parts, and furthermore, the pivotal movement of thehandl about the upper edge of the opening 6 in the housing gives aparticularly easy action.

The handle may be extended through the door and provided with a thumbpiece 18 at its end associated with which a handle 19 may be fixed tothe opposite side of" the door for operation of the latch from eitherside, in those doors, such as screen doors or the like which need tohave their latches operable from both sides.

In Figs. 6 and '7 a modification in construction is Sl10\ *n. The handle5 terminates with its slotted sides or cars '7, passing through theopening 6 in the crown of the housing, however, and having the pin 9passing through. the slots in said cars. A member 20 of sheet metal withdepending sides 21 is pivotally mounted on the pin 9 and extends inwardand is formed with alateral arm l0 similar to the arm 10 firstdescribed. A lip 2-2 with its free end turned down to bear against theupper side of member 20 extends from the inner end of the handle so thaton operation of the handle about its fulcrum on the housing the arm 10"may be disengaged from the strike which is the same in construction asthat described with refer ence to the first form of latch. The member 20is normally elevated by the spring 12. With this construction a latchingand unlatching of the door is accon'iplished practically the same asbefore except that on pushing the door shut only the member 20 has tomove and one grasping the handle 5 as the door is closed does not feelany movement of the handle which is independent of the latching member20 and does not have to move therewith. It is also obvious that withthis construction the extension terminating in a thumb piece 18 may beused if desired.

In Figs. 8, 9 and 10 a still further modification in structure is shown,the handle 5 passing through the opening 6 in the crown of the housingas before and terminating in two sides or ears 7* in which slots 8 arecut, the pin 9 passing therethrough. A latching member having an underside and upturned vertical sides is pivoted at its outer end on the pin9 and said under side at its outer end is turned upwardly as indicatedat 2% coming directly beneath a lip which is an extension of the upperside of the handle at its inner end. Upward operation of the handleturning about the fulcrum provided at the upper edge of the opening 6depresses lip 25 and causes an elevation of the inner end of thelatching member and its lateral arm 10", against the force of the spring12 which exerts a downward pres; sure on the latching member in thiscase. The strike must be nodified so that the opening through the facethereof is above the cam 15 and this cam inclines downwardly andoutwardly instead of upwardly and outwardly as before. There is a liftof the arnr 10 to disengage from the strike instead of a depression asin the first two modifications.

The simplicity of construction and ease of operation due to theconstructions described render this latch one of great merit both fromstandpoints of utility and manufacturing.

I claim:

1. A latch comprising a housing having an opening through the outer sidethereof, a handle passing through said opening, a pin disposedhorizontally between the sides of the housing, slots in the handlethrough which the pin passes whereby the handle fulcrums on the adjacentupper edge of the opening through the housing, and latching meansadapted to engage with a strike operated by the handle, substantially asdescribed.

A latch comprisin a support having spaced apart sides and a frontportion having an opening therethrough, a handle passing through saidopening, means on the support with which the handle has slidingengagement whereby said handle fulorums on the upper edge of the openingin said front portion of the support, and latching means for yieldinglyforcing the handle between its ends against the upper edge of saidopening, means operated by the handle, said latching means being adaptedto engage with a strike and be disengaged from the strike b y operationof the handle.

3. A latch comprising a housing having an opening through the outer sidethereof, a handle passed through said opening, a pin located between thesides of the housing in horizontal position, said handle having slot-stherein through which the pin passes where by the handle may be turnedupward about the upper edge of the opening in the housing as a fulcrumpivot, and latching means including a laterally extending arm passingthrough a side of the housing operated by the handle, substantially asdescribed.

4. A latch comprising a support having spaced apart sides and a frontportion having an opening therethrough, a. handle passing through saidopening, spring means forcing the handle at its upper side against theupper edge of the opening, means carried by the support with which thehandle has sliding engagement, said means being located inside of thefront portion ofsaid sup port, and a laterally extending latching armextending through a side of the support and adapted to engage with astrike, said arm being operatively connected with the handle wherebyupward pivotal movement of the handle about said upper edge of theopening serves to disconnect said arm from the strike, substantially asdescribed.

5. In adevice of the character described, a strike formed from a singlepiece of sheet metal having an outer face and inwardly extending sides,with a section of metal from the face struck out and turned at an angleto the vertical, an opening for the passage of a latching arm beingprovided by striking out said section, and with a shoulder formed in oneside of the strike by cutting away the metal from said side back of saidoutturned section, substantially as described.

6. A. latch comprising a support having spaced apart sides and a frontportion between the sides having an opening therethrough, a pin disposedhorizontally between the sides of the support, a latching memberpivotally mounted adjacent one end on said pin and including a laterallyextending arm at its opposite end passing through a side of the support,means for turning said latching member about its pivot, and a handlepassing through said opening in the front portion of the support andengaging with the latching member whereby on turning the handle aboutthe upper edge of said opening as a pivot, the armmay be moved in adirection opposite to that imparted by the latch member turning means,substantially as described.

7. A latch comprising a support having spaced apart sides and a frontportion between the sides provided with an opening therethrough, a pindisposed horizontally between the sides of the support, a handle passingthrough said opening and formed with slots at its inner end throughwhich the pin passes, a latching member pivotally mounted at one end onthe pin and extending inwardly away from the inner end of the handle,said latching member having a laterally extending arm at its oppositefree end, spring means tending to turn the latching member in onedirection about its pivot, and interengaging means on. the adjacent endsof the handle and latching member for turning the latching memberagainst the force of the spring on operation of the handle about theupper edge of the opening in the support as a pivot, substantially asdescribed.

8. A latch comprising a housing having an opening in the crown thereof,a pin disposed between the'sides of the housing, a latching memberpivotally mounted on the pin at one end and provided with a part at saidend extending above the center of the pin and located between the pinand the crown of the housing, an arm extending laterally through a sideof the housing at the opposite end of the latching member, a handlepassing through the opening in the housing and formed with two spacedapart ears having slots therein through which the pin passes, saidhandle at its inner end passing over said upwardly extending part of thelatch member, and a spring normally tending to turn the latching memberin a downward direction about its pivot.

9. A latch comprising a support having spaced apart sides and a frontportion between the sides having an opening therethrough, a handlepassing through said opening and formed at its inner end with spacedapart ears, each having a substan tially vertical slot therein, a pincarried by and between the sides of the support and passing through theslots, a latching member pivotally mounted at one end on the pin, saidlatching member having a laterally ex tending arm at its opposite end,spring means tending to force the free end of the latching member in adownward direction, and operative engaging means between the handle andlatching member for elevating the free end of the latching member onturn ing the handle about the upper edge of the opening in the frontportion of the support, substantially as described.

10. A latch comprising a housing having a front opening therein, ahandle passing through said opening, and adapted to turn about the upperedge of the opening as a fulcrum, means connecting the handle to thehousing at a point within the housing and permitting the handle withinthe housing to move up and down a limited distance with respect to thehousing, and latching means actuated by the handle as it is turned in anupward direction about the upper edge of the opening in the housing,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ELVAH O, BULMAN.

